By Cameron Rasmusson
Reader Staff
Fire season continues to impact everyone’s summer, but this week, even in-town residents felt the burn.
There’s the smoke that still permeates the air, sure. But the city also took action on the extreme danger, prohibiting open fires within city limits. Barbecues are the most residents can manage if they’re looking for a little open-flame outdoor recreation.
Of special concern is the Little Sand Creek Watershed, one of the city’s most important water sources and the subject of routine timber sales and maintenance to reduce the threat of wildfire. Nevertheless, city officials report that on July 24, Sandpoint, Sagle and Schweitzer firefighters battled a human-caused fire within the watershed.
That wasn’t the only way the fire danger interfered with local plans. Fires in Essex, Mont., led to railroad closures in the state, which in turn suspended Amtrak service earlier this week in Sandpoint. The transportation agency arranged bus transportation to work around the closed sections of rail.
If you have any questions about fire prohibitions, call Selkirk Fire, Rescue and EMS Department at 263-3502 or 263-3533. [CR]
While we have you ...
... if you appreciate that access to the news, opinion, humor, entertainment and cultural reporting in the Sandpoint Reader is freely available in our print newspaper as well as here on our website, we have a favor to ask. The Reader is locally owned and free of the large corporate, big-money influence that affects so much of the media today. We're supported entirely by our valued advertisers and readers. We're committed to continued free access to our paper and our website here with NO PAYWALL - period. But of course, it does cost money to produce the Reader. If you're a reader who appreciates the value of an independent, local news source, we hope you'll consider a voluntary contribution. You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.
You can contribute at either Paypal or Patreon.
Contribute at Patreon Contribute at Paypal
Coming up this week! Don’t miss out on Live performances of music & theater, fundraising, and more! See the full list of events in the 
